Most, if not all of us have faced the issue of a banned Instagram account at one point, whether it happened knowingly or innocently.
Sometimes it may be limited access to certain features or you can’t use your account at all and in some instances, it is like your account never even existed.
An Instagram account suspension can last for as short as 24 hours to as long as 6 months or even permanently and eventually lead to account deletion.
What happens when Instagram suspends your account?
When Instagram disables your account you will get a notification the next time you open your app or try to login to the website.
There are three kinds of Instagram bans;
Action ban: You will not be able to do certain things like liking, commenting, or even following any new people.
This kind of ban usually varies between 24 to 48 hours but may go up to several days.
Shadow ban: With this kind of ban only your followers will be able to view and like your posts, and your posts and profile will not appear in any search results.
It is also usually a short ban lasting a few hours to 30 days.
Account ban: This is a total disabling of your account, in other words, you do not have access to your account; can’t even log in and it’s like your Instagram account doesn’t exist.
If not challenged, an account ban usually does not go for less than 30 days.
How long does Instagram suspend your account?
How long Instagram disables your account will depend on three things:
- Reason for the suspension.
- How many times you have committed the offense?
- Your action when you are suspended.
1) Reason for the suspension
Just like any public platform, Instagram has rules that govern its use, also known as community guidelines, and violating any of these will get your account suspended.
You will get a message telling you the reason and length of time for which your account has been disabled.
Some of the reasons your Instagram account may be suspended include, but are not limited to;
1. Posting offensive materials – 30 days
Instagram clearly states that it does not permit the sharing of nudity or media depicting violence or self-harm.
Posting such information will either get you an action ban or get your account banned for not less than 30 days
2. Being reported by users – 30 days
Users are encouraged to report accounts that they may feel (within reason) are violating Instagram policies.
If your account is flagged several times (nobody is sure how many times), then Instagram may block it for up to 30 days.
3. Abusing the copyright rules – 30 days
Instagram encourages sharing media that is self-owned and has restrictions regarding the sharing of copyrighted materials.
Violating this guideline will get your account disabled for 30 days.
4. Manipulating account user data – 6 months
This involves a number of things, for example, creating fake accounts to boost your following on Instagram.
Some users may also use third-party applications to boost views, likes, and comments on their posts.
While others may buy or sell their accounts for one reason or another, in most cases it is in efforts to boost influence on Instagram.
Any of the above actions will most likely get you warned for the first few times or permanently banned.
5. Repeatedly logging in with wrong credentials – 24 hours to 30 days
This applies when you have forgotten your password, but instead of requesting for a password reset you repeatedly type in the wrong password.
After 3 attempts you will be told that you have been temporarily disabled and that you should try to appeal within a day otherwise, your account will be suspended.
6. If you are not able to prove that you are human and not a bot – 180 days
If there is suspicious activity on your account or behavior that suggests automation tools or bot tendencies you will be subjected to a bot test. Some of these activities include;
- mass following and unfollowing in a short period.
- unreasonably many likes on your posts.
- spam comments or posting similar comments on several posts at the same time.
- logging in using a virtual private network (VPN).
A bot test is what most people refer to as a human test. Failure to pass this test will result in a 180-day or 6 months ban.
7. Illegal activity
Instagram strongly discourages any form of activity or speech that goes against the law or promotes any form of terrorism and organized crime.
Engaging in any criminal activity will get you several warnings and your account may eventually get permanently suspended.
8. Instagram glitch
Sometimes even after trying your level best to be on your best behavior, you may wake up to an Instagram ban.
There may or may not be a notification but in most cases, this ban will last for 30 days.
2) How many times you have committed the offense
Instagram may permanently block and eventually delete an account if it repeatedly violates its Community Guidelines and policy.
It is not clear how many times you have to commit the offense, but it is best to learn your lesson from the first time a punishment is given.
3) Your action when you are suspended
Whenever your account is disabled, a message is sent to you with directions on the way forward.
The faster you follow the instructions the sooner you will have your account back and the shorter the suspension will be.
Failure to respond correctly and within the given time after the account has been temporarily banned will lead to a permanent ban.
Also Read: How To Get Rid Of Bots On Instagram
How to recover a suspended Instagram account
No one likes being denied access to their Instagram account or having restrictions on what features they can or cannot use.
As earlier mentioned in this article, your account may be suspended without your knowledge or after violating any of the Instagram Terms of Use.
Whatever the case may be, you can recover your account by;
- Asking for a review
- Waiting out the ban
1) Ask for a review
There are two ways you may ask Instagram to revise their decision to suspend your account;
1. Log into your account and follow the instructions
If your account is suspended, you will find prompts to follow to reverse that decision when you log into your account either on the website or Instagram app.
First, you will be asked to verify your phone number, then prove it is you by providing a self-portrait while holding a piece of paper with something handwritten.
When you finish submitting the above details, you will have to wait for Instagram to review your photo and then hopefully restore your account
With recent updates, it usually takes between 24 to 48 hours for Instagram to make a decision but it may also take up to a few weeks, so be patient.
2. Fill in a ‘My Instagram Account Was Deactivated’ form
Although this may be the surest way to get back your account, it usually takes a while because of the correspondence involved.
Open your browser and type ‘My Instagram Account Was Deactivated form’ in the search bar. The results will bring two versions of this form;
- One is for accounts that have been disabled without the user necessarily doing anything wrong.
If you believe your account was wrongfully blocked by Instagram then this is the form to fill.
Provide details about yourself; full name, Instagram username, email address, and your current country of residence.
Attach a photo of a valid ID, submit it, and then await an email from the Instagram team with feedback.
You may also click this link to go to this form.
- The second one is for those who have violated the community guidelines, especially by posting content that is not permitted.
Find the link to this version of the ‘My Instagram Account Was Deactivated’ form here
Fill in the required information and submit
Follow the instructions that follow which will include sending a selfie to prove identity, and then wait for an email from Instagram.
After reviewing the information provided, Instagram may decide to unban your account or maintain their decision.
This can take a few days or several weeks depending on the number of complaints received during that time.
Just make sure to refresh your email and don’t forget to check the spam folder.
Hint:
If you feel the process is taking quite a long time, try filling in the form again.
2) Wait for the ban out
If Instagram disables your account for a short time, you can reduce your activity on the platform and wait out your ban.
Short suspensions normally range from 24 to 48 hours which is also the period it usually takes to review your complaint sometimes even longer.
So my advice is to take that time to have a break from using that feature or the Instagram app as a whole and be sure to follow the rules afterwards.
FAQS
Q. Does Instagram automatically suspend accounts?
In some cases, Instagram may automatically suspend your account if you are violating its community guidelines and terms of use.
However, in most cases, you will receive warnings before this action is taken against your account.
Avoid repeat behaviors that are against the platform’s terms of use and you will not have to worry about your account being automatically blocked.
There are a few instances when an account may be mistakenly blocked and there is provision to contest this decision.
Q. What happens when someone reports you on Instagram?
When someone reports you on Instagram, the report will be reviewed to determine whether it is valid.
If it is valid, then depending on the nature of the report, Instagram will take the necessary action;
- Take down the reported media if it violates the community guidelines
- Suspend your account if the matter calls for it
- Limit access to certain features like commenting, liking
- Stop suggesting that type of content or your posts to the person who reported you
However, if the report is not legitimate or was mistakenly sent, then worry not, because nothing will happen to your account.
Q. How do I contact Instagram directly?
Depending on the nature of your problem, there are many ways to contact Instagram.
- You can fill in a form related to your particular issue like account disabling
- You may contact them through their Instagram for business Facebook page
- You can also reach out to them through their Twitter accounts; @InstagramComms or @instagram by replying to their posts. However depending on how many comments, they may or may not reply to you.
- You can also follow this contact Instagram link for issues related to data access, account deletion, account ownership, and access troubleshooting.
- You can also just go to the Instagram help center through your app or website and type in a keyword that best describes your issue.
Q. Why is my Instagram account temporarily blocked from taking this action?
Your Instagram account will be blocked from doing some actions like commenting, liking, or following if Instagram determines that you are misusing the feature.
This kind of ban is what is referred to as an action ban and will usually take up to a couple of days (24-48 hours).
You can check for this ban in your account status; Profile page > Settings and privacy > Help > Account Status or Profile page > Settings and privacy > Account Status
Some things that can be taken as misusing include;
- Abnormally fast rate of commenting, liking, or following
- Posting media that is against Instagram’s terms of use like immoral content
- Replying or commenting with hateful or abusive language
- Posting the same comments over and over can qualify as spam comments
Q. Why can’t I get into my Instagram?
There are several possibilities as to why you are not able to get into your Instagram account;
- Your internet connection is not good
- You are inputting the wrong login details that is to say password and username
- Your account has been suspended either mistakenly or for not following the Instagram community guidelines and terms of use.
- Your account may have been hacked into, in which case you should report this to Instagram.
- You have pending actions on your account like verifying your identity
- Your app is having some technical issues; close the app and re-launch it.
Conclusion
In summary, the duration of your Instagram suspension may vary based on the reason for the suspension, the frequency of the offense, and your reaction towards the suspension.
It is best to remove third-party apps and link your Instagram account to your other social media profiles to reduce the chances of your account getting suspended.
Also, completing your Instagram profile, and obeying the platform’s terms of use and guidelines will add to the security of your Instagram account.
Otherwise, I hope this article has answered the question of how long an Instagram suspension is.
